In the wake
of the explosions that killed three people and injured more than 100 others during
the Boston Marathon yesterday, it seems most of the city is operating again. If
you are visiting Boston, or travelling there in the next few days, here's what
you need to know.

A Google
document with hundreds of entries has been created by residents in the
Boston area offering free housing for those stranded as a result of the
bombings. Google has also created
a tool called the Person Finder
to help people connect with their friends and family. Monday night, local
restaurants were opening their doors to those stranded or injured and offered
free wireless internet and a “pay only if you can” option. Follow the hash tag #Bostonhelp
to find other ways that the local businesses and restaurants are assisting.

A square
mile of downtown Boston has been closed off for the investigation, an area
that includes Boylston Street between US 20, Highway 2, Commonwealth Avenue and
Arlington Street. The Marriott
hotel at Copley Place and Lenox Hotel
in downtown Boston were evacuated as a precaution but since yesterday the Lenox
Hotel has been reopened and is welcoming guests from its entrance on Exeter
Street at Huntington Avenue. It’s unclear if the Marriott is open.

According
to the Bolt, Megabus and Greyhound websites the carriers are
running busses into and out of Boston but are experiencing delays in operations
from Boston’s South Station. Megabus riders who wish not to travel today can
arrange a free reschedule or refund by calling 1-877-GO2-Mega. Amtrak trains
running to and from Boston’s South Station, New York and Philadelphia are also
on schedule.

The
following alerts and advisories are in effect for Boston’s transit system:

Copley Square station, where the
blast went off, remains closed with trains bypassing the station. The Green
Line D-Branch is experiencing short delays due to a disabled train at Riverside
Station.

Due to the Copley Square area being
closed off to all vehicular traffic, Bus routes 9, 10, 39, 55, 502 and 503 are
unable to service Copley Station and the surrounding stations including James
Street, Dartmouth Street, Huntington Avenue, Belvidere Street, Dalton Street,
Stuart Street and Boylston Street. Routes will begin and terminate at Back Bay
Station.

All boat service and commuter rail
line service is running on schedule, with minimal delays on the Framingham/Worcester,
Providence/Stoughton and Newburyport/Rockport rail lines.

The Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a brief ground stop in place at Boston
Logan International Airport last night, but temporary flight restrictions over
part of the city are in effect until further notice. The ground stop impacted
flights coming into Logan but did not impact departures. Flights are running
smoothly into and out of the airport.

The Boston Public Library’s Central Library in Copley Square
is closed. All other branch libraries have resumed normal
operating hours. All museums have also resumed normal operating hours. Five
colleges – the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, Boston Architectural
College, Emerson College, UMass at Boston and Sanford Brown College – will be
closed today.

The
explosions have put major cities including New York, Washington DC and Los
Angeles on high alert, with an increased security presence in airports, bus
terminals and on subways and commuter rail lines expected to continue
throughout the week. There have been no major delays as a result of the event
in other areas nationwide.